Words from Thomas Jefferson that Bush would have done well to heed. Jefferson was speaking about France after the revolution, which at least had an internal/peoples revolution, not one forced on it by outsiders. Outside/induced revolutions (like the one we recently perpetrated in Iraq) in my opinion make any resulting "freedom" unappreciated, and ultimately doomed to failure. TJ: "A full measure of liberty is not now perhaps to be expected by your nation nor am I confident they are prepared to preserve it. More than a generation will be requisite, under the administration of reasonable laws favoring the progress of knowledge in the general mass of the people, and their habituation to an independent security of person and property, before they will be capable of estimating the value of freedom, and the necessity of a sacred adherence to the principles on which it rests for preservation." "Instead of that liberty which takes root and growth in the progress of reason, if recovered by mere force or accident, it becomes, with an unprepared people, a tyranny still, of the many, the few, or the one."
Maybe, but it does ring of truth. It would have been better (well, for the U.S. at least) if the Iraqi's had started an uprising and we came over to help. The result of us "saving the day" uninvited is that the Iraqi's are glad Saddam is gone but really, REALLY don't want us there anymore than they wanted him at this stage. The problem (o.k., so one of many) is the Iraqi's that didn't like Saddam (the majority) and that stood up against him during the Desert Storm were largely searched out and killed. That sets this issue aside in that the people did revolt . . . about a decade ago. If we hadn't stepped back, they would still be alive and the new regime would have (hypothetically) been in place for over a decade now. That's neither here nor there now. Overall, I think the Middle East is one of the toughest places to get any semblance of peace. There are too many rivals and factions within a country as we're finding out, much less between countries. Hence, establishing a government in Iraq even if the people had started the revolution would have likely been problematic. If the U.S. helps, we're allegedly in it for our own reasons or trying to push people around. If they do it by themselves, there's little reason to expect them to establish a Democratic government in our image, if that's even the best thing for their country, or even to expect the majority to be represented. Overall, I'd say it's a big fat mess. -Cheers
Hmm, let's see... this is the same Thomas Jefferson who tried to conquer Canada, and lost? Or the Thomas Jefferson who staged a military coup in Tripoli, and failed? Or did you mean the Thomas Jefferson whos policies led the US straight into war with England in 1812? Please clarify. -peekay
Shame on you for reading history Peekay. We all thought Thomas Jefferson was a prescient god. Isn't this like the reverse of monday-morning quarter backing. Similar to searching the bible for fulfilled prophesies or attributing events to Nostradamus.
The United States of America is the MOST DIVERSE country on the face of this earth. Our democracy embraces the diversity and difference of opinions in our country quite well. ..At the very least it allows for that diversity and difference of opinion. Something NO REGIME would EVER tolerate!
